Why does French sound so smooth?

Apparently, the ancestors of the French, the Gauls, applied a lot of lenition and assimilation. In assimilation, the consonants blend in with neighboring vowels, so seconde is pronounced seu go(n)d rather than seu ko(n)d. But just saying that French has a lot of lenition and assimilation doesn’t get at an explanation.

Why is the French accent so attractive?

French is so breathy, it sounds like whispering (one of the many grievances Americans have with the French). The breathiness comes the forming of sounds at the front of the mouth and the frequency of vowels in the language. As a vowel-filled language, it makes sense that French is so breathy, and therefore sexy.

Why does the French language sound so weird?

The biggest reason for unpronounced letters is that, at one time, the letters were pronounced. One such change is that the last syllable of French words were pronounced less and less historically, which is why today, you often don’t pronounce the last letters in French words.

Which Accent is the most common in French?

The acute accent (French, accent aigu) is the most common accent used in written French. It is only used with the letter e and is always pronounced /e/. One use of the accent aigu is to form the past participle of regular -er verbs.

Is speaking French attractive?

Speaking accented French is considered attractive by 39\% of respondents in a new poll. FRENCH people consider the English accent to be the most attractive – while the rest of the world considers the French language to be the most seductive, a new study has found.

Does French sound harsh?

French has quite a few of the same guttural sounds that German does, and yet you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who would claim French is a harsh tongue. Our perception of each culture is what colors how we hear the languages and why we often claim German has a much harsher tone.

Why is French so fancy?

Basically, in medieval England, the common people used Anglo-Saxon Germanic words and the elite used Norman French words, and that division between high and low words in English continues today. So when you hear French words, as an English-speaker, your brain automatically thinks it’s fancy.

What is the most beautiful spoken language in the world?

And the most beautiful languages in the world are…

• FRENCH – MOST BEAUTIFUL SPOKEN LANGUAGE.
• GERMAN – MOST BEAUTIFUL SUNG LANGUAGE.
• ARABIC – MOST BEAUTIFUL WRITTEN LANGUAGE.
• ITALIAN – MOST BEAUTIFUL BODY LANGUAGE.

Why does French sound so throaty?

Because they often used to be pronounced in Old French. Because French has an etymological spelling that tries to reflect the source language the word was from, which is due to the caprices of Renaissance people that considered French was too barbaric and had to be closer to Latin.

Is the T silent in French?

When T is the last letter of a word, it is silent. However, there are a few words that are exceptions to this rule. Always pronounce the T at the end of the following words: ouest, est (n), huit, brut.

What is the easiest French accent to understand?

Marseille Accent Compared with Parisians, Southern French people speak French at a slower rate, which can make it seem easy to understand. Since the majority of French speakers on television are Parisian, the lack of exposure may make it more difficult to understand. The difficulty lies in the vowels.

Which French accent is hardest to understand?

So is French Creole, from Louisiana. Creole is especially difficult to understand. In fact, it is probably the most different from the original French.

What is consonant accent in French?

Consonant Accent. The cédille ¸ (cedilla) is found only on the letter C. It changes a hard C sound (like K) into a soft C sound (like S), e.g., garçon. The cedilla is never placed in front of E or I, because C always sounds like an S in front of these vowels.

Why do people find French accents attractive and charming?

According to Nigel Amstrong, “any accent is just a series of sounds”. The explanation as to why people find French attractive and charming would be more cultural and sociological. People have a stereotypical view of the country made with preconceived ideas or clichés about the French.

What is the accent mark under the letter C in French?

1. The Cedilla (La Cédille) in French The cedilla in French looks like a little squiggle beneath the letter “c”: “ç”. This accent mark only goes with the letter “c” — it’s not found under any other letter.

How many regional accents are there in France?

France is home to dozens of different regional accents, each linked to the culture and history of the area they originate from. Here is everything you have ever wanted to know about French regional accents! 1. A brief history of French regional accents A. A crash course in French linguistics B. How France started to speak French 2.